Powerless
by Nox the Great and Powerful
Summary: It's been a year since Blackest Night. The event, long since forgotten by the people, continues to haunt the hero community. Even with the ever-growing Bat-Inc, there's an overwhelming feeling of being alone. So when there's suddenly hits out on everyone they know, its hard not to brood. Besides, what does an assassin's plot, new-found sanity anda wave of new heroes have in common?
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya everyone! I'm Nox...erm that's obvious isn't it. Anyways, I'm co-writing this "lovely" thing with my good friend Aerith. Say hi Aeri!**

**_Hi._**

**She's gonna write her notes in italics, while I do them in pure bold! Cuz I'm awesome.**

_**Or an idiot.**_

**She's mean, right? Anyways, if you guys want to hear the totally awesome story of how we decided to write this, keep reading this. If you guys suck and want to read the first chappie of the story, scrowl down until there's no bold. So the story goes like this: I'm a DC fan so I had been looking at this Young Justice RP site. It was so sexy, I couldn't help but check the site for new stuff. During these checks, I read up on some OC's and I fell in love. So at lunch one day, I was talking about the site being amazing and all, when who but Aeri shows up. **_**Oh god, really? You're going to tell them everything? **_**Shut it, Gan. Anyways, she starts complaining about how her bro is forcing her to join an RP forum. Now, Aeri's never been much of an RPer, more of a straight up writer, and she wasn't happy with the character her bro wanted her to RP as. _Do not tell that story too, Nox. Just finish this one up now. _So it was revealed that the sites we were talking about were one and the same. So I fangirled, Aeri made a bad joke about me, I threatened to throw her in a locker, and somehow I managed to convince her to do this with me. Sweet right? _I'm really starting to regret this. _Suck it up, Gan. Or I'll do worse than throw you in a locker. _*rolls eyes* I'm so terrified. And before you make another threat, I'll do the disclaimer._**

**_Nox doesn't own jack shit. DC owns most of this. And by this, I mean Pre-Flashpoint DCU. The chapter titla is from an Alter Bridge song called White Knuckles. The only things we own are the plot and the permission of various character creators for us to use their shit._**

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**Chapter 1: Hold On for Your Life (Only the Strong Survive)**

Its official: Stephanie Brown was bored.

The young vigilante had known that a recon mission for Oracle wouldn't be the same as a team-up with Kara, but she had expected to do more than freeze her ass off on a rooftop while watching for some Japanese gangster to show up at the Iceberg Lounge. She had been perched in the same spot for over an hour, cursing both Oracle and herself.

"Not everything warrants a team-up, Batgirl," Barbara reminded her through the comm. Steph frowned at the comment, various ideas of what she could be doing at that moment flitting through her head.

"Come on, O. I'm sitting here, on a roof, in freeze-your-internal-organs weather, waiting for some Don, while I could be kicking Penguin's ass!" She could hear Barbara sigh quietly, probably mentally agreeing with her.

"For what?" she asked, "As of late, Cobblepott seems to be squeaky-clean."

"Really? Do we even need a reason?" Steph huffed, eyes narrowing at the villain's parked car, only a short drop from her position.

"I-hold on." The sound of typing filled the link, before Oracle spoke again. "Huntress stopped him. She's on route to your location now."

"So I can-"

"Go home." Oracle cut her excited response off with a slight chuckle. "Besides don't you have a test in one of your classes?"

"Oh come on!"

It had been like that for the past month. Dick and Damian patrolled, while Oracle and her team handled recon and covert missions. Every time it seemed that Steph could help in some way, she'd get sent home with the order to do something in regards to her classes. It left the most important member of the Bat-Clan, Batgirl herself, feeling a little left out. Sure, there were times when she could help, even times when she could get through a patrol of her own with landing on Dick's radar, but they were getting rarer and rarer it seemed. But, as things tended to in Gotham City, things were about to change.

"HEY BAT-BITCH!" Steph was pulled out of her thoughts by an insult that had become frequently used in the shadows of Gotham. Blue eyes found the owner of the shout with ease: a scrawny-looking guy holding a small gun.

"Looks like I am going to be kicking some ass tonight," Steph grinned, tilting her head to the side to effortlessly avoid a sloppily-aimed bullet. Leaping off the roof, Batgirl watched as the man fired another shot at her before turning tail and running.

"Be careful," Oracle warned as Steph started after the thug, pulling a batarang from her belt.

"What? Don't you want to play?" she called, closing the distance between her and the shooter with ease. The man yelped and darted towards a door. Smiling, Batgirl threw her batarang at him. It spiraled in the air towards him before-"Damn."

"You missed, didn't you?" Oracle asked.

"Shut up," Steph replied, watching the man disappear into the building. Sighing, she followed after him, and found herself in a large, but empty, room. Stepping forward until she was in the center of it, Steph frowned, "Huh. Hey O, where do you think he-gah!"

The vigilante doubled over in pain, clutching the sides of her head as static mixed with the shrill sounds of feedback blasted through her comm-link. "What the hell?"

"Do you like it?" the shooter asked quietly, appearing suddenly in front of her. "It was made to render those comms useless."

"I can't say that it's my favorite song," she replied, straightening up and studying the man warily, her head pounding from the endless static. Now that she was up-close with him, she could tell that he looked more like Mandark from Dexter's Lab than a Gotham thug. He was scrawnier than she had initially thought, but his dark eyes were empty of any light. It was unnerving to say the least. With her unrivalled deduction skills, or so Steph liked to think, she came to the conclusion that the taser-looking thing in his hands was what was messing with her comm. "But it's not the worse I've ever heard."

"The sounds of us breaking every bone in your body will be that," another voice stated darkly. Batgirl glanced around, counting roughly ten thugs, one carrying what looked like a sledgehammer.

"Look boys," she began, listening for footsteps behind her. "I came here to tango with him. If you want a dance-"

Hearing the sound she had been waiting for, Batgirl started to spin around, slamming her elbow into a thug's nose. She completed the turn with a kick that sent him flying back against a wall. "You'll have to get in line!"

Steph had never been the best fighter. Sure, Bruce, Barbara, Tim and Cass had helped train her, but she was by no means the greatest martial artist to walk the planet. That title was saved for Cass in her eyes, just because at times there seemed to be no limit to what the daughter of the deadliest assassins could do. But Stephanie could see, clear as day that she was fighting off ten armed thugs and winning without truly breaking a sweat. That was, until one of them got lucky.

The sledgehammer collided with her stomach, knocking her flat on her back. She didn't have time to move before they were on her, kicking her until she couldn't hold back a scream, "ORACLE!"

"Ain't no ginger-bitch gonna help you now," one of the thugs told her, kicking her in the head. Her vision swam as his words replayed in her head.

"_How does he know that?"_ she thought, weakly struggling as the thugs stopped their assault to instead pin her to the ground. Mandark walked into her line of sight, taking a sledgehammer from one thug. _"How can they know who she is?"_

"You're gonna die in here, Bat-Bitch," he said, raising the sledgehammer. Steph closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow.

"_This is it. I'm going to die by the hands of some wannabe thug. Damn it, Damian is never going to let me live this down."_

"What's this? You lugs started the party without me?" a masculine voice called, causing her blue eyes to snap open. They landed on a figure basked in the moonlight from a far above skylight. He appeared to be slowly descending, large silver wings beating slowly, like a falcon unhurriedly lowering itself onto a tree branch.

"_An angel?"_ Steph thought absentmindedly. _"Am I dead? And since when did angels dress like ninjas?"_

The man landed, his dark brown eyes finding her blue ones. In fact, his eyes were one of the few areas left uncovered. He had on some sort of black spandex that covered his torso and head, although not over his face. He instead covered his identity with a grey facemask that protected his mouth and nose. Over his torso, was a grey vest that was cut into a V-like shape, which matched the grey loincloth-thing he wore over black cloth pants. The pants were tucked into black boots, and strategically placed grey plates protected his arms and legs. A bandoleer was slung over his shoulders, drawing attention to the most important thing about this man. The giant, metallic wings sprouting from his back. Steph had never seen something like that. She knew that Azreal and Batwing both had metal wings, but she couldn't recall from the pictures she had seen of them if theirs were as detailed as this mysterious man's. On his, she could practically see individual feathers. The young Gothamite girl was so lost in her study of the man that she didn't even realize that the thugs were no longer pinning her to the ground, and were instead charging at the winged man. The only one who didn't move was Mandark, who appeared to be frozen at the sight of the mystery man.

The winged ninja fought the thugs off with ease, his dark eyes never leaving Steph's blue ones. Fierce emotions showed in them clearly: protectiveness, anger…guilt. As the ninja took care of the last couple thugs, Mandark made his move. The scrawny little man brought the hammer down on her stomach, earning a gurgled scream of pain from the blonde. The attack itself hadn't had enough power behind it to injure her horribly through her suit, but the hammer was heavy enough on its own to leave a nasty bruise.

However the scream seemed to break whatever cool concentration the ninja had, allowing for the only thug still on his feet to punch the man in the face. The winged mystery stumbled back slightly, dazed, but unharmed. Batgirl attempted to rise up, noticing Mandark was beginning to lift the hammer again, only for her vision to swim again.

"_Fuck…that's a concussion. Come on, Steph. You've survived being tortured before. This should be a walk in the park."_

"WHO HIRED YOU?!" the winged ninja roared as he threw the thug he had been fighting into Mandark, sending both flying backwards. Beating his wings, the man flew over to them, picking up the still conscious Mandark with a snarl. "ANSWER ME!"

"We are the Cult of Pain," Mandark replied, grinning wickedly. "Our Master is the only one we answer to."

Mandark started then to spasm, white foam dripping from his mouth. With a curse, the winged man dropped him, turning back towards the barely conscious Batgirl. Brown eyes widened, and the man rushed towards her, kneeling beside her as he scanned for wounds.

"Batgirl, I'm going to pick you up, alright?" he began softly. She nodded slightly, before feeling his arms wrap around her shoulders and knees, lifting her bridal style. "I think you have a concussion."

"No shit, Sherlock," she mumbled weakly, resting her head against his chest. Faintly, she could hear his heartbeat, a steady drum as they lifted off the ground. The steadiness quickly lulled the blonde hero into blissful sleep.

* * *

"Stephanie, wake up. Alfred made pancakes." Dick's deep voice, filled with all the energy of a child, pulled Steph from her rest. Her eyes fluttered open to find herself in a room that was not her own. That much was clear by the fact that she felt like she was laying on a cloud-a sure sign of being at the Wayne Manor. Turning her head, she took in the sight of Barbara asleep in her wheelchair beside the bed, and Dick standing behind her with a tray filled with food. He smiled at her and continued, "Thank god that worked. My next plan was to get Damian to reenact Sleeping Beauty with you."

"Tch, I wouldn't have kissed Fatgirl even if she was going to die," Damian stated from the doorway. He made his way in, a dark glare on his young features. It would have been threatening, if it weren't for the fact that his eyes were bloodshot and slightly puffy. As though he had been crying.

"You say that now, but wait 'til you hit puberty, kid," Dick grinned; balancing the tray with one hand in order to ruffle the ten year old's hair. "Then she'll be all you think about."

"Ugh, how long was I out?" Steph asked, struggling to sit up. Grimacing, Damian helped her silently, avoiding her curious gaze.

"A while," Dick shrugged, placing the tray on her lap. "We were worried that you slipped into a coma."

"How long has Barb been here?"

"Since Dick took you back here," Barbara replied groggily, slowly waking up. Steph nodded slowly; Dick was the one who'd think of bringing her to the manor. A memory of the night before flashed through her head: silver wings in the moonlight.

"Who was that winged ninja guy." The three exchanged looks at her question, before meeting her curious gaze.

"Bruce wants you to figure that out on your own," Barbara stated, frowning slightly.

"It's to improve your deduction," Damian explained, his voice lacking its usual bite. Seemingly to mend that mistake, he followed it up with a, "Glad someone else knows you need to."

"Damian," Dick warned, frowning at his sidekick. Damian glowered at him, earning an eye twitch from the last Flying Grayson, before Dick turned his attention back to Steph, "He also ordered that you stay off patrol for at least two weeks."

"Normally, I'd argue with that," Stephanie began, picking up a fork from the tray. "But after what happened last night, I don't think I deserve to be Batgirl."

* * *

**AN: So Steph is feeling a little sad cuz she got her ass handed to her by some weirdos. I hope to all things holy that I wrote these characters right. If not, then someone write me a review and tell me that it sucks please. Or if anyone has any ideas that I can use to mess with my sweet, sweet Aerith. _I'm still here you idiot._ I know, my yummy KitKat. _Gross. _Hehe. Anyways, the winged guy is (obviously) an OC, but I can't reveal anymore info about that.**

**Um, don't worry people, Aeri and I are going to attempt to write a decent story (with the PTSD Blackest Night gave everyone) not involving the New 52. The only things we really enjoy about that mess are as follows: Red Hood (Jason's hot..._I can't refute that_), Aquaman (_he's finally cool_), Court of Owls (_Poor Dick...even though everyone calls him Richard now_), and of course Death of the Family (_Joker...is in love...creepy aye?_).**

**Erm, write reviews...please? I'll even love flames if you write them. We'll roast marshmellows for our smores on them. XD**

_**Really Nox? Ugh, Aerith over and out.**_

**Noooo! Come back my pet! You have to be the fat cat to my Bond villain! GAH! Exit Stage Left!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo guys! It's your favorite person ever: Nox! **_You're no one's favorite person Nox._ **And Aerith, everyone's least favorite human being. Damnit Aeri! I named you!** _No, you stated that I looked like Aerith from Final Fantasy. Momoko said I acted like L from Death Note._ **You do...but now I see a bigger DC thing in you. After all, you're Tim Fucking Drake.** _So I've been told._

_Anyways, this week Nox and I got fantastic news:_ **The people on the RP site like the story so far. We've been given permission to use their characters, and we're loving the ideas we have from the variety of OCs. Plus the amazing Fallen liked the story!** _I feel like we're gonna end up breaking out into song._ **I actually fell out of my chair when I was informed Fallen liked it.** _I did a spit take...no lie. _**So, in honor of that, we've got some news for those RPers: 1. I'm gonna join the site! I'm planning to go in as Harley, just because she's my all-time favorite character. So whoa!** _2. We have decided to offer you guys the ability to commission one-shots. They can be of any kind, don't limit yourselves to DC. Its a thank you because the support you guys have given us is simply amazing._

**Now readers, all of you must now go out and join the Young Justice RPG. Its the awesome Proboards one, not the tumblr one. Seriously. Get it straight. Also, Aeri and I will be answering all reviews at the end of the story so thank you guys for your support.**

_Alright, we'll do the OC disclaimers at the bottom. Anyways, the title_ **(BTW Aeri misspelled Title in the last chapter...thought you guys should know)** _is from two songs by Green Day: Holiday and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. We don't own anything besides the plot. Oh! And an old RP on the site inspired this chapter! Thanks to Query, Fallen and Fal!_

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**Chapter 2: I Beg to Dream and Differ (What's Fucked Up and Everything's Alright)**

It had been a few weeks since the incident. To quickly stop the angst marathon, Steph had thrown herself into both her college work and her hunt for the winged ninja who saved her. After many Google searches, due to the fact that Dick had lived up to his name and denied her use of the Bat-Computer, she had gleaned enough information to get an idea of what she was dealing with.

Which was how she found herself in New York City, counting the hours until night, so she could personally thank the ninja in his own territory. However, like Gotham, New York was huge, and she was more than a little fearful of getting herself completely and hopelessly lost. Just like Damian said she would.

Turning a corner, Steph grinned as she spotted a small coffee shop sandwiched in between some hipster clothing store and a record store. It'd be quiet, that much she could tell from looking in the nearly empty shop's windows. She glanced at the stores around it before walking into the shop, wondering, _"Who even has records anymore?"_

Stephanie made her way to the counter, the grin fading into a gentle smile as she approached the boy there. He was tall and lanky, with features that reminded her of a puppy. A really adorable puppy; one that you wanted to hug all the time.

"Hi! Welcome to the Daily Grind," the boy, his nametag read Cameron, said, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "What can I get for you?"

"How about," Steph paused, looking at the menu just above Cameron, "A grande Turtle on Steroids? What is that?"

"It's one of our best brews. It's flavored with mocha and caramel, and a lot of espresso," Cameron stated, smiling. "It's strong, but that's how they like it here. Lots of caffeine."

"Sounds good," she replied. He nodded and tapped the register in front of him, bringing up her total.

"That'll be five-fifty." Steph nodded and pulled her wallet out of her bag. She flipped it open and frowned.

"I only have four dollars." She looked up at Cameron who frowned slightly. "I'm sor-"

"I'll have the same as her, and Rinny over here will have an Almond Joy," a smooth voice said behind her. Steph turned around to see two people standing in line behind her. One was a girl with choppy red hair, while the other was a young man with shaggy brown hair. He had on, what appeared to be, a genuine leather jacket, which probably cost more than Steph could make in a month. The man had slightly rounded features, making him look like a young Jeremy Renner or a slightly hardened Thomas Dekker. He flashed her a smile, before turning to his companion. "What's that bring us to, Rin?"

"_He's such a prick,"_ Steph thought, scowling at him. Here she was, attempting to order a drink, coming up short, and he just pushed past her as if she didn't exist. _"Although, he is kinda hot. Sorta in that Johnny Rzeznik/bad-boy, sort of way."_

"Sixteen-fifty," the blonde girl, Rin, stated in a thick Brooklyn accent, smiling slightly at Cameron. He grinned back at her and punched everything into the register.

"So it'll be two Turtles on Steroids, and one Almond Joy," Cameron told them. Steph's blue eyes widened slightly as it dawned on her. The leather-jacket-wearing-prick just bought her a cup of coffee. "Like Rinny-Tin-Tin said: sixteen-fifty."

Rin scowled at him while the man next to her chuckled softly, pulling out his wallet and paying for the drinks. Turning towards Steph, the man flashed a charming smile, "Kiss me if I'm wrong, but have we met?"

"Um, wow," Steph laughed, shaking her head at the pickup line. "If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me-"

"You'd have a nickel?" Steph grinned at him, the memory of her team-up with Kara flashing through her mind at the question.

"I'd have a nickel."He laughed at her reply, chocolate brown eyes twinkling slightly.

"I'm Vince."

"Steph."

"Your drinks," Cameron cut in, grinning at Rin, who was shaking with silent laughter. Vince nodded and grabbed two of the drinks, passing one to Rin, and the other to Steph. Taking the last one for himself, he tilted his head towards one of the small tables in the shop.

"Wanna join us, Steph?" She nodded, and followed Vince and Rin to one of the tables. Vince placed his drink down on it, turning around to mouth something to Cameron. As he turned, disaster struck. Steph's foot caught on the leg of an incredibly devious chair, and sent her tumbling forward. She caught herself before she could land flat on her face, but the coffee was another story. The almost boiling hot drink had spilled, covering Vince's left arm. Vince closed his eyes, breathing deeply, while Steph started to apologize.

"Oh my god, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod: I am so sorry. Are you hurt? Oh god." Vince cracked open his eyes to peer at her silently as he pulled his jacket off, wincing at the burn covering his bicep. Blue eyes glued themselves to the burn, starting another round of: "Ohmygod, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine Steph," Vince stated quietly, offering her a gentle, if not pained, smile. "Accidents happen. Lord knows how many times Rin, Cam and James have done the same."

"Hey, don't group me with that punk!" Rin protested, scowling. Vince smirked slightly at her indignant expression, before turning his attention back to Stephanie as they sat down.

"Are you from around here?" She shook her head quickly at his question, answering smoothly.

"No, I'm from Gotham. You?"

"Metropolis, originally," Vince shrugged. "Moved around a bit before ending up here."

"Brooklyn baby," Rin grinned. "Though I lived in Bludhaven for a bit."

"So, what brings you to New York?"

"Business," Stephanie answered. "I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" Vince asked, brown eyes twinkling with some hidden emotion. Amusement perhaps? "We know the city better than anyone."

"I doubt you'd know him," Steph smiled. _"Cause he's a freaking Archangel in ninja's clothing."_

"You'd be surprised," Vince grinned. "I know a lot of people."

She shrugged at him, before changing the topic, "So does New York have a Batman or something?"

"_Good Steph, reel them in with talks of vigilantes. Maybe they know something about __him__."_

"That's Rin-Man's specialty, actually," Cameron replied from the counter, where he was checking the amount of caramel the shop had. "She's the photographer for The Prophet."

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Rin questioned, attempting to sound annoyed, only to be met with a grin. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Steph, "New York has a team of heroes protecting her. 'The Guardian Order', the reporters call them. My boss hates them, but they sell papes."

"Who's on the team?" Stephanie inquired, leaning in.

"Only the weirdest mix of heroes I've ever seen. There's this one, Wham, who looks more like a college student than anything else. Doesn't wear any sort of costume: just a small mask." Rin paused, taking a sip of her coffee. The Gothamite thought back on the research she had done: she hadn't heard of a Wham-hero or otherwise. "L. Lyle thinks that he's a member of the Mexican drug cartel."

"L. Lyle?"

"Lawson. The Editor for the Prophet? He's anti-vigilante," Vince filled in, smiling slightly. "A real prick if you ask me."

"No one was," Rin quipped, smirking at him. It was clear to Steph that the other blonde loved the topic of vigilantes, or at least loved the attention. "We've got a half-human, half-fox chick too. Calls herself the Kitsune. Lawson thinks she's the result of some lab experiment."

"_Wait I've heard of her. She's, like, the creature version of Red Hood from what I gathered." _Before Steph could muse anymore on that vigilante, Rin was moving on.

"Then there's The Boltman and Blackhawk. Boltman-"

"He's the fucking God of Thunder," Vince chimed in. "Even told L. Lyle off once. Best. Day. Ever."

"So I take it that your boss hates him?" Steph asked.

"More than hates," Rin grinned. "He started a smear campaign."

"Heh, that sounds like Gotham."

"Boltman is pretty hard to get pictures of; not really one for posing for the camera, ya know? Anyways, Blackhawk, well, he reminds me of another hero who used to guard the city. What was his name? Nighthawk?" Rin shrugged again, "Eh, it's not my job to know their names. Just to take their pictures. But there's one who gets the most press. They call him the Falcon. My boss says that he's half-bird, half-freak, but I don't know. He saved my life once, so he can't be all-bad."

"Aw, does someone have a crush on the big, bad, Falcon?" Vince teased, only to be met with a disgusted face.

"Come on bro, you know that I love my men tall, blond and dreamy." Vince cackled at her response, earning a confused look from Steph. Struggling to calm down, he managed between laughs:

"She's…in love…with…Aquaman." Blue eyes widened as Steph turned to look at Rin for confirmation. Rin just nodded, her ears bright pink. The three dissolved into laughter, earning only a slightly amused look from Cameron. The man was used to all sorts of strange people with the two regulars.

After all, it was New York.

* * *

Dead hands clawed at him, decaying faces sneering at his terror. His parents. Bruce. Conner. Bart. Steph. Cass. Alfred. Dick. Jason. All of them….dead.

"We're dead, boy."

"Why didn't you save us?"

"This is your fault."

"Tim, why didn't you help me?"

"You didn't find it."

"It's too late, kid."

"You're gonna pay for this, Timbo."

"NO!" Time sat upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Shuddering, his blue eyes scanned the dark room for the phantoms that haunted his dreams. They landed on the stunning figure of his partner, who smiled at him from her spot in the doorway.

"Tea?" she offered, dark eyes clearly showing both her concern and her own fear. Time nodded quickly, attempting to shake off the after effects of the dream.

"Yeah…just let me get dressed," Tim replied, glancing quickly at the basketball shorts he was wearing. Cass shrugged at him, as though she was saying 'Why bother? It's not something I haven't seen before', before slipping silently out of his room in the small Okinawain house they were staying in.

He and Cassandra had been traveling together for a few months. They had dressed each other's wounds, and shared their war stories, bringing them closer together with every passing second. He was her Robin; she was his Batgirl. Nothing could ever change that, that bond could never be broken.

He climbed out of bed, and after a fruitless half-hearted attempt of looking for different clothes; Tim made his way into the tiny dining room. Cass was in the middle of preparing their tea, using the same ancient technique their host had taught her. He stood there for a moment, watching her work. Cassandra was elegant no matter what she was doing, and her preparing tea was no less graceful than her taking on an army. She looked up at him, a small smile gracing her face, and prompting him to kneel down across the table from her.

"You had another one?" she asked, pouring then both cups of green tea and handing his to him.

"Gomen." He took a sip, attempting to ignore the question that he knew she already knew the answer to. After a very long minute of silence, he finally admitted quietly: "They're getting worse."

He felt weak, like a kid getting bullied on the playground. He had worked for Batman, had lived through everyone he loved leaving him: he wasn't weak. Cass's dark eyes focused on his blue ones as she spoke, her words both easing his mind and sending a shiver down his spine.

"Mine too."

* * *

**AN: Holy fuck that was fun to write. Um, we should explain everything now.** _There's a drink at a coffee shop I frequent called the Turtle, made like how Cameron described it. It's my favorite drink, and so we decided to give it a kick as a throw to my bro._ **L. Lyle Lawson is a parody of J. Jonah. Jameson. Just thought it wasn't obvious enough.** _Anyways the OCs go as following: Falcon and Vince both belong to my bro, Cameron and Wham belong to Jazz, The Boltman belongs to Boltman, Blackhawk belongs to fellow fan-fic writer Sand Torrent, Kitsune belongs to Nox technically, and Rin belongs to moi._ **Hehe, Rin has a crush on Aquaman. Fucking amazing. Anyways, that part between Tim and Cass, that wasn't in the first draft. Aeri added that in primarily to show that this isn't a Steph story. This thing hits Bat-Clan no matter where they are.** _On a side note, I do know how to do the tea ceromony Cass is doing thanks to Momoko. They take their tea very seriously._ **Like how you take your hockey.**

**Anyways, onto review replies:**

**Anon: Wow that's a lot of words.** _I swear that I've seen that same review on like twenty other stories._ **Listen, we get the whole fact that you have to quote that History Channel thing on the Wild West, but neithet of us see what that has to do with the story. We didn't say anything in the last chapter about how we'd love some alien from a distant corner of space saving our world. Therefore it was unwarranted. **_However, I'm going to say something, just because of the fact that I don't only think that it was unwarranted. You stated that heroes are bullies, hypocrites, corrupt, and down right horrible creatures. By that, therefore one must assume, that you think the same of cops and soldiers. They are heroes after all. Do you believe that they are bullies? That someone should drop an a-bomb on them?_ **Aeri, chill. I get that you have family and friends in the service. Anon is just a troll. Don't flip out over something that hides under bridges and eats goats.** _You're right. I'm sorry for my conduct, Anon._

**Broken Shadows: Oooh! Multiple questions! I'm going to attempt to answer these without giving away the plot. 1. I can't tell you that, but nice catch. I thought only Aeri's Bro caught that one.** _2. Nope. What causes someone to convulse, foam at the mouth, and then die? The answer: cyanide._ **Nice one, Gan. 3. Hahahahahaha, no.** _4. Maybe. We don't think so but you never know._

**Lune: Sweet name! Um, Aeri, you wrote for him: you explain it.** _Deep down...Damian is a nice person. He just got fucked over by his family one too many times._

**Vitani: Hehe, Lion King 2 anyone? Um, please refrain from insulting other reviewers. unless you do it in a language I don't know (anyone other than English).**

**Sand Torrent: Hey buddy! You got a mention! Charrie? Really man? Um, didn't you give me permission to use Blackhawk? Because I distinctly remember you doing that and Query making a very amusing comment about hands.** _Behave Nox, Darling. Anyways, hiya James. Do me a favor, mate, and stay frosty._ **You totes got that from a game.** _Up yours Noxy._

**Anyways, tune in soon for chapter 3. Oh, Fallen? Can Aeri make an app for civilian? I've been pestering her about using Rin in shit. The site seems like it could use a Rinny-Tin-Tin.**

_Nox...no. Just no. Besides putting a character from an Original work into fandom doesn't work very well. Rin's a part of Binary, remember?_ **And Kit is a part of my story Heart of Darkness. We all got stuff like that. But I love the character, and everyone else will too!**

_If you say so, Aerith Gan out._

**Oh come one, Aeri. Don't you want to rev your Noxy? *winks* Well readers, this has been Nox...hitting on Aeri...who left...I mean, *cough* This had been Nox the Great and All-Powerful, signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**GAH! So sorry for the late review! I'm telling you guys that we would have had this finished before if it weren't for a few reasons. 1: So much homework. 2: How freaking difficult it is to write for these characters. and 3: Hehe, Aeri's play rehearsals.** _Don't go blaming this on me, Nox. You caused this yourself. _**Says the girl who's in lurve with our Roy Harper.** _For the last freaking time, he's not Roy Harper. _**His arms say otherwise.** _He's Gambit. He's always throwing cards when the Director's bitching. _**Oh god. Wade calls you Rogue, remember? Rogue and Gambit had a thing. A...fonduing thing. **_You butchered that._ **Suck my non-existant-**_Bad Nox. No perverting this AN up._

**Fine...So...Anyone read the ending of Death of the Family? I did. Then I told Aeri. She hit me. I tried to get her to admit her undying gay love for me not long after that.** _Yeah...how's the stomach? _**Heh, you've gotten better at sucker punching me.** _I know._**You know what Aeri? **_No._ **You are the Genesis to my Angeal. The Tim to my Kon. The Nero to my Dante.** _Please tell me there's a point in this somewhere._ **I mean to say...that you will admit your undying love for me or else!** _Looking at all those groupings: Nero would dropkick you, Tim would blush and then deck you, and Genesis would recite Loveless again._ **But at least they're all in love with the person I grouped them with. **_You've been spending too much time with Libby listening to her crazy theories. ANyways, I'll disclaim everything with this: DISCLAIMED BITCHES!_

**...Classy...**

_Shove it. BTW: Chapter title comes from the song Corruption Garden. Translyrics by Kran, loves!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Chaotic Flowers and Repeated Miseries (Ash of a Flower)**

There was one thing that was obvious: she wasn't in Gotham anymore. This was a fact that Batgirl became aware of as she was surrounded. In Gotham, the street thugs would be almost cowering at the mere sight of her. But here, in New York, they were smirking as they advanced towards her.

"A little far from home, huh girl?" one of them jeered.

"Don't worry, we'll give you a New York welcome."

"I'll show you a good time, girl." She grimaced at their words, although they were no worse than anything she heard in Gotham.

"Now, these odds aren't exactly fair," she began, pulling her collapsible staff from her belt. "Five against one? This'd only take a minute with my arms bound. I'd hate to think what that means for you guys."

"Get her!" Rolling her eyes, Batgirl slide into a stance. It was her first time back in the suit since the incident. It felt good, like waking up after a long nap. The thugs were no match for her, and by the time she was done, she wasn't even breathing heavy.

The sound of clapping grabbed her attention, and the caped girl turned to see...Nightwing?

"You're good," he said, hopping down from a fire escape. Steph cocked an eyebrow as she noticed a few key facts about the costumed young man. Firstly, his voice was slightly higher than Dick's. Secondly, he was a good four inches taller, putting him at 5'9. The costume he wore, although very similar to the Nightwing suit, was different as well. While it was primarily black and skintight, strengthened with what was probably Kevlar plating, there was a brightly colored bird logo on the chest. While Nightwing's had been fluid and sky blue, the young man's was sharp, almost jagged-looking, and an almost neon orange. A black and orange utility belt and a jagged domino mask completed the look. The young man smiled slightly at her, "Welcome to Soho."

"You must be Blackhawk," she stated, shortening her staff. "I've heard about you."

"I'm quite notorious," he replied. "So do tell, what's a Bat doing in New York?"

"I'm looking for someone. A ninja."

"These ninja wouldn't happen to have wings, would he?"

"In fact-"

"Damn," Blackhawk shook his head at her. "Do you know how many of you have been pestering us?"

"Excuse me?"

"No offense to you, Bat-Doll, but my city's been visited by half the Justice League in the past few weeks."

"Falcon's a popular person I suppose," Steph said, struggling not to clench her jaw. Was that how other heroes felt when met with Bruce's 'no-interference' rules? "Where can I find him?"

"Sorry doll, he's not really one for visitors. More of a 'I'll-call-you'-type of guy." She narrowed her eyes at the other hero, watching as he squirmed slightly under her gaze. "But if you patrol with me, he'll hunt us down."

"Glad we could come to some sort of agreement," she replied, smiling brightly at him. He nodded slowly, before pressing a finger to his ear.

"Yeah….By Columbia?...Sweet, meetcha there." She stared at him as his hand fell, a childlike grin on his face. "A giant monster is attacking Ellis Island."

"A monster?" she repeated, allowing her sarcasm and disbelief to bleed into her words.

"Probably a lab experiment gone wrong, but its more exciting than thugs." He shrugged, pulling a grapping gun from his belt. "Let's go."

* * *

"Huh, there's actually a monster." Blackhawk turned towards her incredulously, causing her to shrug. The monster looked more like a giant seaweed octopus than Nessie, but at least it was exciting. "So, do you guys have an Order Boat or something?"

"That Order thing is Prophet propaganda," a voice said behind them. Batgirl turned slightly to see two others on the rooftop behind her and Blackhawk. One of them was dressed in a black bodysuit with a full mask over his head. Covering his eyes were a pair of tinted goggles, and a navy emblem consisting of three lightning bolts shooting from the center of a circle. The man next to him dressed much more simplistic: jeans, a black hoodie, and a black domino mask. The man in the bodysuit continued with a slight chuckle, "Wait 'till he spins this."

"You're-?"

"The Boltman," Blackhawk filled in. "Mr. Casual Friday here is Wham."

"Pleasure," Wham murmured, nodding to Steph, before turning to the Boltman. "Not gonna happen, yo."

"Bet I could," the taller man stated. Stephanie tilted her head to the side. Boltman had the deepest voice of the three, reminding her of a voice actor from one of the cartoons she had watched with her group of college friends. Something from the nineties, with Christopher Daniel Barnes in it.

"Man, you're not Zeus," Blackhawk laughed, shaking his head. "You'd never hit it from this distance."

Boltman turned to look at him, extending his thumb and forefinger to make the appearance of a gun. He pointed the 'gun' at the monster, his mask pulling slightly around his jaw: he was smiling. "Watch me."

A bolt of lightning shot from his finger tip and flew towards the creature; there was no other way for Batgirl to describe the sight. The electric hero turned to his teammates as the bolt struck its target, causing the giant seaweed monster to wither and plunge back into the water. Blackhawk sighed, almost pouting at the sight. "Man, that was anti-climatic."

"Don't be too upset," Wham began, pointing to a shadow racing towards them in the water. "We got this."

"Shouldn't we evacuate the citizens from here?" Batgirl questioned, looking down from the roof at the hundreds of civilians who had shown up to gawk at the monster. If it was coming towards them, they were in danger.

"It's New York," Blackhawk replied, the distaste evident in his tone. "Do you honestly think they'll listen?"

"Wham, you got five minutes before-"

"I'm aware," Wham cut in, raising an eyebrow at Boltman. The lightning user coughed awkwardly before continuing.

"So you do that. We'll get the people to safety and all that heroic shindig. And Falcon-" Boltman paused, looking over at Ellis Island. "If you want to see how real heroes fight, we could always use an audience."

"I think you got that backwards, Bolt," a strangely familiar voice stated, coming from the comm link in Blackhawk's ear. The hero hissed, all but ripping the device from his ears. Steph cocked an eyebrow at the excessive volume, while Wham and Boltman just exchanged looks. "Quit hacking the links, kid. Things like that only land you in trouble."

"I doubt that our guest really minds knowing what we're saying," a feminine voice replied. "Now I'd suggest doing your jobs, instead of acting like this is Homecoming or somethin."

"Tch, I hate it when she's right," Blackhawk groaned, leaping off the roof. Batgirl and Boltman followed after him, with the later immediately ordering everyone to clear out.

"Who's she?" the Gothamite asked, as the black and orange clad hero replaced his comm.

"A colleague. One of Falcon's many, many connections. She's our eyes and ears in the city."

"Hn, sounds like someone I know."

"You better get good pictures of this, Lumen," a woman's voice rang out as the seaweed monster rose up again. The heroes turned towards the sound, spotting a raven haired woman and a short blonde girl. The girl was carrying a camera, and unsurprisingly, she was someone Steph had met. "This'll be front page material."

"Piss off, Nox," Rin spat, snapping a few pictures. "I'm more than competent at my job."

"Hey, get outta here!" Blackhawk yelled at them, as he pulled two escrima sticks from his belt.

"_Oh, Dick's gonna have a field day with this one," _Steph thought, shaking her head before returning her gaze to the seaweed creature. _"A bit of ice would do the trick. But who's controlling it? Please let it be some unknown freak and not-"_

"You!" Poison Ivy roared, eyes landing on Boltman, who looked around in mock confusion. "You dare hurt one of my babies?"

"Well, there's a reason it's called a concrete jungle," he replied, sliding into a boxing stance.

"You will pay for-"

"You know Ivy," Batgirl began, extending her staff. "Why don't you hop off that Creature from the Atlantic Lagoon and surrender? I'll even throw in the handcuffs and ride to Arkham as a bonus."

"Batgirl," Ivy hissed, flicking her wrist at the heroes. Tentacles of seaweed snapped out, going for each of them.

"So," Wham asked, seemingly appearing from thin air. He was shaking slightly, which being paired with a pained grimace, did little to set Steph's mind at ease as the group dodged tentacles. "Anyone have a freeze ray?"

"Not on me," Batgirl replied, fishing ice pellets out of her belt. "But I've got something that could work instead."

"Ice grenades?" Blackhawk questioned as she pegged one at the tentacle closest to him. It froze instantly, allowing him to shatter it with a well-timed hit with his sticks. "I've got a few of those back at base."

"Congratulations," Boltman started, punching at two incoming tentacles. Electricity leaped from his fist, burning the seaweed until it was little more than ash on the ground in front of him. "You proved that you're incapable-"

"Do save the banter for our 'fearless' leader," Wham groaned, catching a tentacle with two fingers. He let go of it for a split second, before grabbing a fistful and ripping the tentacle off. Ivy shrieked at him, earning a grin from the hero. "Where's the challenge, Ivy?"

"Don't tell me you came all the way here from Arkham to play in the water," Bolt called out.

"Egging her on isn't the brightest idea," Batgirl warned, tossing a few more pellets in an attempt to hit Ivy, only to be blocked by the seaweed. Her trip to New York wasn't going at all the way she had planned. All she wanted was to talk to Falcon about that night in the warehouse, not to fight Poison Ivy alongside the most unknown group of heroes she had ever seen.

"Why's th-" Blackhawk's query was cut off as a tentacle wrapped around his waist, throwing him into the air. He went flying towards the distant island, earning a loud cackle from Ivy. Much to everyone's surprise, another laugh joined in with hers. Rin stood as close as she could to the monster, with her camera at the ready.

"Look behind you," Rin giggled. Ivy glared down at her, speaking loudly.

"Foolish bag of meat. You think that I would-"

"No seriously. Look behind you." Ivy turned around, just in time to get a boot to the face. She flew from the plant creation, landing roughly on the ground in front of Batgirl. The blonde looked up to see Blackhawk and Falcon landing before them. Rin turned towards the group, snapping a few pictures, just as Nox came bouncing over.

"Did you get the-?"

"Yeah, I did," Rin replied smoothly. The photographer smiled as she questioned, "Is the Wicked Bitch of the Garden out?"

"Judging by the lump on her head…yes?" Wham offered.

"I can see the headline now: Guardians and Bat team-up to take out a Gotham City Rogue," Nox grinned, earning a shudder from Rin.

"Needs work."

"No one asked your opinion, Lumen." Rolling her eyes at Nox, Rin snapped another picture. Steph shook her head at them, only to notice to swaying wall of seaweed.

"That's not good," she muttered, only to hear a hum of agreement from Boltman.

"Would you ladies mind passing a message on for me?" he inquired, tilting his head to the side. The two women walked over to him, out of the reach of the soon to fall seaweed tower. "Tell Lawson that I said thanks for all the press."

"Sure thing, Boltman," Nox said, slightly dazed. Falcon rolled his shoulders, his wings flexing with his movements. He turned to Blackhawk, nodding slightly.

"You got this? I have to…speak with Batgirl for a few moments."

"You got it, boss," the escrima stick wielder grinned. Nodding curtly, he took to the sky, leaving Batgirl to grapple after him. Distantly, Steph could hear Wham and Bolt shouting something to Falcon, but it was lost in the wind.

* * *

"Who are you?" Steph asked as Falcon successfully led them to the motel she had been staying in for the night. He opened to window to her room and gestured for her to go inside. She did quickly, turning towards him with a faint scowl as he slide into the room, his wings seeming folding into his back.

"You tell me," Falcon replied.

"You're a member of Batman Inc. Recent, I take it, but you've known us for some time now. My guess is that you used to run with Nightwing when he guarded this city. You have a team of your own, but your uniform carries an insignia not used to identify either you or the team. Therefore you were a member of something else before your venture into heroics. Possibly a Chinese society of ninjas, judging by your suit." Pausing, she smiled, _"How's that for deductive skills, Damian?"_

"Close," Falcon nodded. "But no cigar."

"Then do tell."

"I am the Batman of New York, made only so in the past month. Before that, I did freelance work for the group and its members. My team and I have been protecting this city for the past three years. Most of us have some sort of affiliation to either the Inc or to the League. You're spot on with the costume note, which was something none of us thought you'd get." He chuckled quietly, before continuing, "It's not a Chinese ninja society, especially sense it'd have to be Japanese for it to be ninjas. However, I was an assassin."

"How'd you know where I was staying? And why were you in Gotham?"

"We flagged your alias, 'Stephanie Drake'." She laughed slightly at that. Barbara had given her the alias for laughs, not expecting that she'd use it. "Batman had sent over a list of ones you had. And to answer your last question; I found something he needs to see."

"What's that?"

"The Red Hood."

* * *

**AN: This chapter is CCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA APPPPPPPP! Seriously it is. I didn't write Bolt and Wham well enough. **_I don't disagree. _**Ugh! Some best friend you are. **_Just saying. Besides take it slower next time. Stop taking more than you can swallow. _**You know that I'd rather choke than spit right? XD **_NOX! What did I tell you?!_ **Did you tell it to me before or after you decked that one guy for grabbing your ass?** _After?_ **There's your answer.**

**Answer Times:**

**Sand Torrent: Yo Hawkie! I say: Peanut Butter Jelly Time!** _I say: No more Skyrim._ **Is that anything like No More Mutants? **_Hopefully._ **That reminds me of the arguement you and Flare had about Skyrim and Zelda.** _Skyrim sucks in comparison to Zelda. It sucks so much that it gives Verge a run for his money. _**Hehe, I see what you did there. But yes...Zelda is better. That game rating thingie was a lie!**

**FallenUpStairs: *rebuilds pedestal* Aeri, be a good girl and guard this, will ya? Fallen is trying to knock stuff down.** _Bite me, Nox. _**Wher-hehe, I shouldn't say that when your brother could read this. But Fallen, thank you for the compliments! However, this chapter is my worst so far so its probably a big let down.** _Fallen, thank you. Oh, and do keep my brother in line. He's a bit crazy, especially when he's in Rasta mode._

**Side Notes: HEhe, I made an appearance! And Rin is secretly in love with a hero other than Aquaman.** _Funny, I wasn't informed of this piece of character devolpment._ **Um...look a giant seaweed monster!** _That was probably the lamest thing you've ever come up with._ **Do not make me get out the duck tape Aeri. Or any prank I can think of in the next week.** _Try me. Come the fuck at me sis._ **Oh, its on like Donkey Kong.** _Don't start singing, Nox. You'll shatter glass._ **That's it! When I get my hands on you, you'll be sorry.** _That's not what you said last night. :P_

_Gan: to infinity and beyond._

**As much as she pisses me off, she does that and I get chill again. Tch, Italians. Anyhoo: see ya next time lovies.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Boom chakalaka! Damn it's been a long week. Aeri was slammed. I was slammed. We should have gotten slammed, but we're underage. **_...My teacher gave us a lecture about how FDR was the American Hitler...I'm not going to be able to survive another one of his classes. _**It was really bad, guys. Really bad. But all those reviews helped us out a lot! And made us write more!** _Heh, we actually both got yelled at for writing in class._ **My teacher read what i was writing to the class! Not even cool!** _No one can read my handwriting so I'm good._ **Jerk.** _Bitch._** Ha: Sam and Dean FTW!**

**Which brings me to a very important topic: pairings! Obviously, I ship**_-For the record, I'd like to say that neither of us support incestual pairings. Just wrong on so many levels._ **Preach it, Aeri.** _Go fuck yourself._ **That works too. You see, sweet readers: we'd like to know what DC pairings you guys enjoy. Curious we are, in the ways of the world. **_Also known as Nox has been sad and wants attention. _**AERITH GAN! VANISH FROM MY SIGHT!** _And if I refuse?_ **I'll, i dunno, string you up the flagpole? Isn't that what people are supposed to do to nerds and smartasses? **_You've been trying to land a prank on me all week. I've avoided every single one. What do you think that means, Nox?_ **Damn.**

_Anyways: we don't own much. The title is from Boston's Peace of Mind. Nox is a goof...the usual._

* * *

**Chapter 4: I Understand About Indecision (All I Want is to Have My Peace of Mind)**

"How are they?" Cass inquired, glancing at Tim's computer. Tim looked at his partner, his eyes betraying his neutral expression.

"Recovering from a run in with the cult," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "Kon got-"

"Shot?" a voice asked. Tim nodded once as their hosts walked in. Jiro looked collected as usual, while the young Japanese woman beside him looked slightly sick. Coughing quietly, she spoke again, "I got the message from my team. I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault, Ren," Tim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How the hell'd they get past us?"

"Pay offs?" Cass offered, watching as Tim brooded. They had been travailing through Europe and Asia in pursuit of a terroristic cult. They had thought that they'd cornered them in Okinawa, but somehow they had slipped through their grasps.

"It's possible," Jiro mused. "Or maybe there's another connection we've missed. A Yakuza connection?"

"My family would be a good place to start," Ren nodded. "I suppose the two of you want to head back to the States."

"Soon," Tim replied, mind still whirling. _"How did they get past us? What the hell was there to gain from attacking my team?"_

"I'll have the jet ready in an hour." Ren smiled halfheartedly at them as she pulled out her cell phone. As she made arrangements in Japanese, Jiro turned to the two Gotham heroes.

"She's trying," he tried, frowning slightly. "At least she's trying to be a hero."

"I know." Cass shrugged, smiling at the girl, "She's a Guardian."

"Better yet," Tim hummed. "She knows something about this cult. They all do."

* * *

"How the hell-?"

"Allow me to explain," Falcon cut in, his dark eyes meeting hers for a moment. She cocked an eyebrow at him as the man began his tale, "It was a month ago…"

"_It's good to see you again, Rae," Falcon said, placing a hand on the cloaked girl's shoulder. "You know that there's always a place for you on the Guardians."_

"_I appreciate that, Falcon," Raven replied, offering a small smile. Nodding at her, the ninja stepped away._

"_I'll leave you and Star to it then-"_

"Wait," Steph interrupted, furrowing her brow. "Star? As in Starfire?"

"Are you going to interrupt again?"

"Answer the question, then I'll be quiet."

"…Yes. Starfire is a member of the Guardians. For now at least. May I continue?"

"Possibly?"

"_I'm patrolling with Blackhawk." With that the winged ninja took off into the sky, quickly covering the distance between he and his teammate._

"_You hear that?" the escrima stick user questioned from his spot on a rooftop. Falcon perched next to him, listening carefully. They were in the bad part of town, where violence was the norm. However, the night was nearly silent._

"_It's quiet," Falcon nodded. "Too quiet."_

"_My thoughts exactly." Before Falcon could suggest anything, the quiet sound of footfalls drew their attention to the alley below them. Blackhawk's lips curled as he spoke, "It's a Runner."_

_Sighing quietly, the ninja dropped from his perch, landing almost silently in front of the Runner. He grabbed the guy by his collar before taking off into the sky, ignoring the terrified shrieks from the low-level criminal. Staring him down, Falcon spoke coldly, "Tell me everything. Now!"_

"_Th-th-th-there's this new guh-guh-guy on the s-s-s-streets. The h-h-h-h-Hood, he's called," the runner whimpered, attempting to grab onto Falcon to prevent a nasty fall._

"_My arms are getting tired." The runner yelped at the comment, stammering out every piece of information he had on criminal activity in the city. He ended the tirade with a frightened squeak of:_

"_I heard a few guys saying that they were going to get the Hood. That's everything I know: I swear! Please don't drop me!" Falcon shrugged slightly, removing one hand from the runner's collar. Nonchalantly, he hit the criminal on the head, knocking him out cold. Slowly, Falcon lowered them to the roof where Blackhawk stood with an annoyed expression on his face._

"_Why do I have the feeling I have to deliver him to jail?" the black and orange spandex dressed hero asked. Falcon tossed the unconscious body to him, chuckling slightly._

"_Well, since you offered-"_

"_Screw you, Fal." Groaning, he attempted to throw the runner over his shoulder. "Why can't you get Bolt or Wham to do this stuff?"_

"_They're at the other end of the city." Growling at the ninja, Blackhawk watched as Falcon took off into the skies again, soaring off for a destination unknown to him. Growing serious, Falcon spoke quietly into his comm, "You got all of that Rin?"_

"_All that and more, Fal," the photographer replied, her voice distorted by the comm. "Do I even want to know-"_

"Rin? The photographer? Is the entire city made up of your team now?" Falcon looked over at the blonde hero in what she assumed was disbelief.

"She used to be a hacker in Bludhaven actually. Rin's kept on a distinct need to know basis."

"Okay, how many heroes do you even have in this place?"

"How many people are in the Justice League?" Steph paused for a moment, wondering where the ninja was going with his question. "Or the Titans? The Teen Titans? The Birds of Prey? The Outsiders? The Justice Squad? Batman Inc?"

"Looks like someone did their homework."

"Can I continue the story you wanted to hear?"

"Can I get the Sparknotes version?"

"Can you shut up?"

"I said Sparknotes not Snarknotes." Falcon stared at her for a moment, before bursting out laughing. Steph allowed herself a quiet laugh of her own, aware of how absurd everything was. Here she was, face-to-face with a guy she barely knew, bantering like they were an old married couple.

"Alright, I'll sum it up for you, Bats," he began, once he had stopped laughing. "I hunted down the Hood, who naturally turned out to be the Red Hood, and smashed into the old tenet building just as he was shooting at the same people who attacked you. I managed to scare them off by my entrance, so I ordered Rin to track them through cameras as I took on the Red Hood."

"Was he…crazy?" Batgirl questioned, remembering everything she had been told about the former Robin. Although she had never met Jason, Tim's horror stories and his files were more than enough for her to get an understanding of him. He was angry, and that rage led to insanity.

"No, he's not crazy," Falcon replied, shaking his head. "Just broken."

The winged hero paused, before continuing slowly. "We had only barely begun to stop toying with each other when his partner cried out his name. She had gotten shot before I came, and the adrenaline from the fight had worn off completely. Next thing any of us knew, she was in his arms; him attempting to slow the bleeding while she told him not to bother."

"Oh god." Dick had spoken of Jason's sidekick only a few times, but it was enough for Steph to get an idea of exactly who Scarlet was. A young girl, horribly disfigured, taken in by the Fallen Robin himself. Vengeful and angry, the duo had taken on Batman and Robin a number of times and had always managed to get away.

"She died minutes before Starfire and Raven arrived with the rest of my team. Wham, Bolt, and Blackhawk took her body, while Star, I don't know, comforted him. Raven offered him the chance to numb the pain. Instead she gave him something he needed more." Batgirl looked at him, eyes showing her confusion clearly. Falcon looked down, his voice dropping, "Peace of mind."

* * *

"Do you think she's figured everything out yet?" Dick inquired, sitting on the kitchen counter. The redhead looked at him in mock-annoyance as she wheeled towards him. They were in her apartment, truly alone for the first time in what seemed like forever. Bruce was out on patrol with Damian; her team was operating without her. The two had managed to get through dinner and a half bottle of wine without a single interruption.

Shaking her head at him, Barbara answered simply, "Knowing her, not a chance. They're probably having a field day with this."

"Falcon's team never was the most mature group." A thin eyebrow rose at his comment, followed shortly by a quick:

"Need I remind you of your teams, Boy Wonder?"

"Boy Wonder?" Dick did his best to put on an indignant expression, only truly succeeding in earning a smirk from the gorgeous redhead across from him. Deciding instead to grin lewdly at her, he commented, "You won't be saying that later."

"You sure about that?" Hopping off the counter, Dick scooped the red haired hero out of her chair, and carried her bridal-style towards the bedroom.

"Completely," he hummed, before capturing her lips with his own.

* * *

**AN: Oh god...I wrote fluff. Of course that was the part my teacher read to the class. **_Naturally. _**Anyways, that Snarknotes comment was actually something Aeri had said during one of her rehearsals apparently. **_Yup! _**Wade tells me these things *shakes head*. **_Anyways, unfortunately there's no Jason in this chapter. Next one for sure, we promise._

**Review Answers:**

**Sand Torrent: Don't sell yourself short, Hawkie! Thanks for the compliments!** _It wasn't very action-filled or thrilling though...but like Nox the Fox said: don't sell yourself short. If you spend all your time comparing yourself to others in terms of style and skill, you only degrade your own work. Your style and skill level is different from mine or Nox's since you are you're own person._ **Aeri...that was beautiful.** _Thanks, Nox._

**Gakupo's Lover: Finally, more Vocaloid fans. Am I to guess that you love GACKT as well? Thanks for the compliments, and if you want to see the voice of Gakupo kick ass, then watch Bunraku! **_Nox, we shouldn't advertise for things...we don't get paid for it. Anyways, it is nice to have a Vocaloid fan reading our work. It's different to say the least._

**Italianxxxxpoet: Hiya Vergil! Guess what? We don't care that you're a creepy stalker guy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! **_I hate you with an undying passion, Verge. _**I do feel bad for you Aeri, that role can't be an easy one. **_It's not._

**Reilly: Yes. Yes it was. Aeri, answer his next question.** _Only a small group of ocs in this story are ours. I can't tell you how the others came up with their characters, but we'll explain ours. Rin, short for Katherine, is from an original work of mine called Binary. Her nickname's Thorin in that, but we decided to change her appearance and name slightly for this piece as its a different universe. Thorin is based off of myself and a few close friends. Ren, who appeared in this chapter, is from Nox's original piece Heart of Darkness. Ren, in that, is an actual deity, a Kitsune to be exact. Who she is in this is pretty obvious. Originally she was based off of me, before my bro reworked the personality for the RPG he frequents. Now she's more like Nox and a couple of friends of ours._ **One of whom is dead. So the character has now become even dearer to my heart. If the RPers who created the OCs we're using want to tell us how they came up with their characters, be my guest.**

**Richard's Girl: Not that I know of. Hey Hawkie! Is Blackhawk a member of the Blackhawks? OR is he related to Nighthawk in anyway?**

**IvyxHarley: Hehehe, oopies? And cut us some slack, the Scarecrow idea fell through.**

**Guest: ...I love Jason too...but he's not in it yet. Just a bit of backstory.**

**Broken Shadows: I love them too...Kon got a mention? He got shot in da face! With da kryptonite mon! **_Nox, don't. _**Party pooper, no cake for you.**

**LovethatJoker: Yes...yes you are. Because everyone else is a butthead! OR, y'know, tired.**

**Other Guest: Thanks! We hope you like it. *winks***

_Anyways, I got a special message for my bro: Hyiea, there are not one, but two, oneshots in the process for you. One is what you mock requested. The other is what the story Falcon was telling was supposed to be (AKA part of the original draft of this chapter)._ **In case no one here is familiar with the Gans, I'll explain. Aeri has a big bro who inspired her to write. She calls him Ace, Hyiea, Fal, etc. His name is as elusive as hers. I don't think anyone we know knows your real name, Aeri. **_What can I say?_ **Seriously, she laughs whenever we try to** **guess.**

_Ha, please. Anyways, time to write a research paper on guitars. I'm out *drops mic*_

**What no! Aeri! Won't you procrastinate with me? I need you by my side so i can take over the world! Anyways, I love you guys, hopefully you all review. Probably you won't, but i'm cool with that. Oh, Fallen: your fic with the semi-Wall/Babs pairing is amazing. Best thing I've ever read. Peace out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**WASSUP! So very few reviews this time around. Hrm. I guess we'll give you guys what you really want.** _Sushi. _**No...JJJJJJJJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOO OOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!** _Yay, all I ever wanted._ **Shut up, Aeri. I can smell your sarcasm** _I don't care, the fucking Guardians are following me._ **Funny story. Aeri took the ACTs a few weeks back. A ton of questions were relating to the names of the Guardians in this story.** _I got an extremely high score on it though._

_We don't own. The title is from Scoff by Nirvana._

* * *

Chapter 5: I'm Not Worth It (In My Eyes)

They called it The Nest. It wasn't an actual nest, just a old tenet building bought by the strange group the moment they had saved up enough money for it. They renovated the hell out of it, and slowly began the process of moving in. They each had a room, with several flats to spare, some of which were converted to match their own means. One flat became a lab; another an oracle's technological dream. The Nest was the homes of both the Guardians, and their secret identities. The rest of New York wasn't privy to that fact, naturally, as the building looked ordinary.

But as Katherine Lumen had learned the hard way, one should never judge a book by its cover. The young woman, known to her friends as Rin, a nickname courtesy of her Japanese roommate, sat in the flat-turned electronic room, staring at the feeds from various camera located all over the city. Sighing, she tapped her earpiece, speaking in a quiet voice. "If I find out that you're sleeping with her, Fal, I'm going to murder you in a slow, and very painful way."

"You realize he turned off his comm, right?" Blackhawk asked, his voice crackling through the speaker. "Anyways, I'm done with Soho. Rendezvous back in the Nest?"

"No, we're obviously going to meet up on Oa," Boltman quipped, the sarcasm dripping from his words. "I'm outta Queens, and looking forward to kicking back with my Galvantula."

"Nothing better than a night of kicking ass, and playing Pokemon," Wham agreed quietly.

"I don't see why I'm still with you nerds," a gravelly voice stated. "I take it that you guys got beat up on the playground."

"Every day of my life," Rin chuckled, shaking her head at the strange group's banter. They were a group of unlikely heroes to say the least. "So Star, are you putting the old man back in our care?"

"Old man?" the gravelly voice snorted. "I'm only two years older than you, 'kid'."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rin smirked. "Is your Alzheimer's acting up again 'old man'?"

"Please do not antagonize him, Rin," Starfire hummed. "Jason is-"

"Half insane?" Blackhawk offered. Wham laughed quietly, and replied.

"Only half?"

"Ha. Ha," Jason's mock laugh filled the link for a moment, before Rin spoke.

"What's wrong, Jaybird? Is our persiflage bothersome to you?"

"Oooh, did you learn that word today, Kathy?" Jason mocked. "Looks like Cammy's lessons have paid off. What else did he teach you?"

"Burn!"Blackhawk cackled, as he landed on the roof of the Nest. Moments later, he was joined by the other Guardians, minus Falcon and Starfire. Wham was pinching the bridge of his nose, while Boltman was muffling his laughter. The Red Hood was shaking his head at them as Rin sputtered in their ears, unable to come up with a response.

"Firstly, no," Wham stated after a moment, once the laughter had died. "Secondly, I'm tutoring her in biology."

"So that's what they're calling it nowadays," Boltman chuckled, placing a hand on Wham's shoulder.

"Bolt, Hood: imma pop a cap in both yo asses," Rin warned.

"If you were going to do that, you'd of shot Jacobs for being from 'Bahston'," Bolt reminded her as the strange group headed for the stairwell entrance on the roof. Within seconds, they were standing in front of Rin, who was fixing them all with death glares. Pulling off his helmet, Jason grinned winningly at her, only to earn a quick:

"Where's Star?"

"Gotham," Jason answered, peeling off both his gloves and his red domino mask. The others pulled off their masks as well, exchanging silent looks.

Ever since Falcon had found him and Scarlet, Jason had more or less been dragged into the group of heroes. Initially, the team couldn't stand him, even after Raven had placed some sort of structure in his shattered mind. Slowly, as he revealed this past to them, taking care to leave out most of the details, they began to open up to him, giving him what he could only assume were aliases, and treating him like a normal human being. Was it friendship what they had? In truth, Jason had never truly had friends. All those he did have, left him in the end. Kyle. Donna. Sasha. Bruce. Once upon a time, Jason had even viewed Falcon, Vincent, as a friend, in the lifetime they had once shared so long ago. Before he was the Red Hood; before Vince was the Falcon. Before the shit that caused them to meet, not as partners, but as enemies.

Were the Guardians his 'friends'? Was he a member of their rag-tag team? Did he even want to be? These were all questions Jason didn't know the answers to. All he did know, was that he wasn't the same man who had captured Batman and Robin, threatening to reveal their identities to the world. He wasn't the same man, the killer he used to be. And that, that was because of the kindness the group had shown him in the past month.

"Yo, you alright Jay?" Wham—Cameron—asked, replacing the industrial bar through his ear.

"I'm…fine?" Jason grimaced as his supposed-to-be nonchalant statement became a question. Boltman, a tall, lanky brunette who seemed to always have a 5 0'clock shadow, smirked at him.

"I told you not to eat anything Kory cooked. Bet she gave you food poisoning."

"Steve, I think Jay always looks like that," Blackhawk grinned, his turquoise eyes sparkling.

"Clever," Jason remarked drily, shaking off his thoughts as he studied the various computer screens. "Arms shipments?"

"Direct from Japan, courtesy of the Kitsu-Gumi," Rin elaborated with a nod. "Two shipments in the next few days. One here, and one-"

"In Gotham," Blackhawk finished, eyes wide.

"James, I don't know what they taught you in Boston, but in Brooklyn, if you interrupt us, we beat your ass."

"Well, seeing that you broke your thumb last time you punched someone; I think I'm safe."

"Tucked your thumb?" Cameron inquired quietly, eyes twinkling in amusement. Rin spat a curse at him, before speaking slowly.

"I figured that would be a good job for you and Falcon while you're in Gotham. Lord knows what else you two will be doing."

"Right," Jason nodded, frowning. He and Vince had decided to 'inform' the Bat-Clan of new information on the cult, in person. Batgirl, or Stephanie as he heard her name was, showing up in New York changed the game slightly, but the plan was still the same. "Transportation?"

"Train. Your ticket will read Jensen Martella, thanks to Steven's quick thinking." Rin paused, green eyes meeting Jason's blue. "You leave tomorrow."

* * *

Stephanie sighed as she looked out the window of the train. Falcon's orders didn't fill her in on what was going on. Heck, she was more confused now than before she had gone. The winged ninja had told her to head back to Gotham, and that they'd be in touch. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Steph?" a familiar voice questioned. She turned towards the aisle suddenly, a smile appearing on her face.

"Vince! It's good to see you." The shaggy-haired man grinned sheepishly at her, before asking quietly:

"Do you mind if my cuz and I join you?"

"Not at all," she replied, gesturing for him to sit next to her. Vince smiled and waved over another man, who glowered as he made his way towards them. The sight of the other man made Steph freeze, recognition flaring through her. _"It can't be…Jason?"_

Vince sat down next to her, while Jason sat across from them. The brunette nodded at his raven-haired companion, before leaning to whisper in the blonde's ear, "Was it really that much of a surprise, Bat-Babe?"

"How the hell-" The rest of her sentence died in her throat as Vince lifted a hand to cover the lower half of his face. Blue eyes widened as it dawned on her, "Falcon?"

"The one and only," he winked, dropping his hand.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Dick sent me your file," Vince chuckled. Stephanie scowled, silently planning on shoving an escrima stick up the new Batman's ass.

"He's dead. That-"

"Dick?" Jason offered, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "Love the fact that his name's an insult."

"It's conveni-wait a second." The two men watched her, waiting for the blonde to continue. "Was all this planned?"

"Sending me and Jay to Gotham with you? Yes." Vince nodded.

"How about the coffee?"

"No. I wasn't planning on finding you until the night. Meeting you for coffee was pretty entertaining, though." Steph punched him in the side, smirking as he hissed in pain.

"Does your team know?"

"Know what?"

"About my identity; his identity."

"Nope." Steph stared at him in disbelief, prompting Jason to explain Vince's words.

"They're kept on a strict need-to-know basis, in regards to everything. We don't even know each other's real names-"

"Except for Katherine and James."

"All they know about me is my first name, my 'other' name, and the fact that Vince and I have a…past."

"They don't know anything in regards to the Clan, so your secret's safe."

"Great. Fantastic. Then what the hell is the Cult of Pain?"

"That-" Here the two men exchanged pointed looks, "Is a long story."

* * *

"I hate cyanide," Cameron stated, pushing his chair back from the microscope in front of him. He and his teammates were in the lab, going over samples from the various cult members they had fought. "Its positively revolting."

"Then, when committing suicide," Steven (a.k.a. the electricity-powered hero known as the Boltman) began, his vibrant green eyes appearing huge due to the magnifying goggles covering them. "Don't use cyanide."

"Or don't commit suicide," James replied, clumsily pulling apart one of the guns a cult member had used against the Red Hood. "That works too."

"Take the mag out, Jacobs," Steven ordered, not bothering to even look over at the other boy. "If I get shot because of you, I'm going to put a couple hundred watts into your head."

"Don't you have a 'no-killing' rule?"

"Do I look like I have a 'no-killing' rule?"

"Nah…you look kinda like Dexter though."

"Peter Parker," Rin offered, dusting a few weapons for prints.

"I was going to go with Harry Potter," Cameron chuckled, wheeling his chair back towards the microscope. He switched out the samples, and looked it over, silently noting the similarities.

"Is today a 'Pick-On-Bolt' kind of day?" Steven groaned, before picking up a screwdriver. "Because if so then I'm pegging this through someone's head."

"By someone, do you mean James?" Katherine asked, smirking. "Because I support all violence towards people from Boston."

"Yet you kissed me, darling," James commented, a smirk of his own appearing on his face.

"Just to earn fifty bucks from my boss," she replied. Cameron and Steven exchanged looks of varying levels of annoyance and disgust.

"New Englanders," Cam stated, purposely thickening his Californian accent to showcase the point. Steven made a quiet sound that sounded remarkably like a giggle, before saying.

"Ten bucks says Jason's grounded for bringing his guns on the train."

"Nah, Vince tossed them in a dumpster on the way."

"I'm siding with Bolt on this one, Cam," Rin nodded.

"Jason wouldn't have brought them." James grinned at them, "He has spares in every city in the world."

"Anyone up for the bet?" Steve inquired, smiling darkly at his teammates, only to earn equally dark grins in reply.

"Oh…it's on."

* * *

**AN: So we're good right? I'm kinda in a hurry to get this posted so I can work on the other chapters. Hawkie: you da man.**

**Peace out from both of your angels.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Long time, no write, right? We're going to apologize for that now. I'll write most of this, cause of Aeri's circumstances.** _Just because I'm sick, it doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass. _**Sure Aeri *rolls eyes*. Anyhow, Aeri got sick, and by sick I mean she's nearly passed out every freakin' day for the past few weeks. I think you're dying.** _I'm stressed, which is pretty much the same thing._ **Jeez, Tech week will be agony next month. Tech week, SATs, tech week, previews, show, show, ACTs, show. And seeing that you got a high enough score the first time to get into an Ivy League, I feel your pain.** _No you don't...not really. You're just saying things to make me feel better. _**That's true. On the plus side, at least I'm not "mad at you for being dishonest, but I'm mad at you for being honest" unlike Ashes. **_Ashes can go screw herself for all I care. Not my problem. _**Very mature of you. Anyways, we should probably talk about last chap a bit. Um, Jason was written like his Outlaws series, kinda. Jason's a weird character, his personality changes with each writer. It's annoying and hard to follow. So we wrote him how we saw fit. For the OCs, I can see them messing around with each other, like the Titans or the Avengers do. And seeing that Bolt is the god of thunder...XD** _Apparently some of our friends have been trolling the site as well, and have fallen in love with Boltman. Amusingly, they also love Thor._ **Which is why we must all go play Pokemon. Everyone's getting XX, right?**

**okay, now I'll explain why this is late. 1. Aeri was sick, and that really bums me out. 2. I read the ending of Death of the Family. It was disappointing, but still very good. I'm glad Alfred didn't die. 3. Guess why DC's on my shit-list...they killed Robin...again.**

**Now I'm not a big Damian fangirl. Sure he's a cute little pissface, but I'm not the biggest fan. That's not to say that I don't respect his character, I do. He's an amazing character, and a terrific Robin. But they killed him. They did the one thing you just don't do. They had him die like a punk. He got stabbed, through the stomach, by his future self hired by his mom. That shit's fucked up. And it kinda killed my DC muse. Like stomped it out and tore it to pieces. It pissed me off so much, that I went off comics completely. Hell, I wrote a fucking Fire Emblem piece. I'm probably not gonna post it, but come on. ITs not even the same genre.** _I stopped her before she could write a Deathnote slash fic though. _**Heh, L and Light...a bowl of** strawberries..._L would kick his ass to Gongaga if Light tried. Besides, I've read your slash, and its as bad as Chad's._ **Hey-**_No, don't attempt to argue._

_Anyways, we don't own. Someshit is, infact, a word (suck it Mack), and the title is taken from Clear and Nero's cover of the Vocaloid Luka song, Stardust Utopia._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Angelic Shriek (Stardust Utopia)**

To anyone who walked in on the sight, it would have been quite amusing. Four, barely awake, young adults stumbling around a small kitchen unit, attempting to start the day.

"Where's the eggs?" Cameron questioned, staring at a spot on the counter. He swore he had placed the carton there just a few seconds ago.

"Right here," James answered as he cracked the eggs into a bowl.

"Is that clean?"Rin asked, grimacing at him as she poured four cups of coffee. Steven offered her a slight smile as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"You ate pizza off the floor, remember?"

"No, Ren did."

"She's like a dog," James mused aloud, passing the bowl of eggs to Cameron, who got to work at making them scrambled eggs.

"You're not far off," Steve chuckled, taking his coffee from Katherine and sitting down. Pulling a laptop from the far end of the table towards him, he opened it and began typing, his fingers dancing across the keys.

"Why aren't you helping?" Cam inquired, turning to look at him.

"I am."

"I doubt that."

"Suck it."

"You suck it."

"Once again su-"

The two's tirade was cut off as an annoying buzzing sound filled the air, only to be replaced with a unfortunately familiar voice:

"Red Hood to Babywing, come in Babywing."

"For the last time, don't compare me to Nightwing," James groaned. "I'm n-"

"Hey, I wore those threads once y'know," Jason commented, his smirk evident in his words. "Looked good in them too."

"I'm still not him, Jay."

"Is there a point to the call, Jay?" Rin asked, frowning. "Or can we eat breakfast now?"

"We need segments of file 13943," Jason explained. "To quote Vince: 'Pronto'."

"Gimme an hour, and I'll send it." There was a quiet click, before complete silence. After a moment, James groaned:

"I fucking hate Bluetooth." Rin giggled at his response, and slid a cup of steaming coffee towards the boy.

* * *

"So this is the Batcave," Vince began, looking around the dank cave with interest. Jason and Steph turned towards him, the latter nervous about bringing the two into the sacred cave. "It's funny, I thought it'd be bigger."

"It does seem a lot smaller now," a voice stated behind the three. They whipped around in order to see, none other than, Tim and Cass standing by the display cases. Cass's eyes were wide, while Tim had a slight smile on his handsome features.

"Vincent," Cass began timidly. "Is it…you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Cassandra." The daughter of Shiva smiled warmly, and rushed towards the man, throwing her arms around him in an uncharacteristic show of affection.

"Whoa," Steph coughed. "_Did they hook up or something? Wouldn't she tell me if she did, though?"_ "What's going on here? How do you guys know each other?"

Cassandra pulled away from Vince, who shared her smile, and started to explain, "Before I came to Gotham, I lived with Vince and his Uncle, both former assassins."

"Only for a year, kid," he stated, winking at the Asian girl. "Then I ran off, and you vanished into parts unknown."

"Which is where my story comes in, I take it?" Jason smirked. Vince nodded once, while the others gazed at him curiously. "After I came back, I was training with some of the most 'talented' members of the League of Shadows, alongside Vince here. We parted ways after, what? Two years?"

"Cue me moving to Bludhaven and doing some hero work with Nightwing." Vince smirked suddenly, "Those were fun times."

"If I recall," a voice stated from the shadows of the stairway. Dick Grayson, followed shortly by Damian and Bruce Wayne, made his way down the stairs towards them, a smirk of his own on his face. "You figured out my identity when I arrested you during a case."

"That charge was bogus, man. I wasn't even drunk," Vince grinned. Dick laughed and threw his arms around the brunette. "Look, I know you love me, but this is a little much, Grayson."

"Let me guess," Steph chuckled, "The two of you then moved to New York and had fabulous team-ups until Dick left to go chase aliens in bikinis, and ninjas in wheelchairs."

"Don't forget the lesbians," Vince laughed, pushing Dick off of him, who then mock-punched him in the shoulder. "Anyways, then I teamed up with Tim over there to save New York from Godzilla, before finally getting my chance to work with the actual Batman, and being a Batman myself."

"What are you doing here, Falcon?" Bruce questioned coldly, glancing over at Jason, who looked around in mock-innocence.

"We have new information about the Cult." There was a moment of silence, before he continued. "We don't know who their leader is, but they obviously have an issue with you, sir. They've attacked your businesses across the world as well as some of the people in your 'family'."

"Who are these people?" Dick asked, his expression serious. Like him, many of the others' expressions were grim.

"They attacked my team," Tim began, clenching his fists. "Kon took kryptonite to the chest, and both of Cassie's wrists were broken. These-"

"It's your fault if your team can't handle a few thugs, Drake," Damian cut in, scowling at the former Robin. Jason growled at him, starting threateningly towards the preteen.

"You little snot! These aren't the scum from Crime Alley. They killed my partner!"

"Jason," Steph warned, placing her hands on the angry gunslinger's chest in an effort to hold him back. She easily understood his rage. She had been beaten, almost killed, by the Cult, and then Damian made a comment that made her would-be killers sound like nothing. But Stephanie knew, surprisingly, that Damian hadn't meant that comment the way it had sounded. He had been questioning the Teen Titans' ability to deal with things without their leader, their Boy Wonder. It was a question every member of the Bat-Clan had been wondering ever since Tim had left his team. "Please."

Jason noticeably relaxed at her request, but he continued to glare at the demon-child. Tim walked over to them, placing a reassuring hand on his once adversary's shoulder. Bruce glared at them, before his eyes landed on Vince, who gulped quietly, "Explain. Now."

* * *

"I am glad you were willing to meet with me," Koriand'r began, smiling slightly at the redhead in front of her. Barbara Gordon, however, looked slightly uncomfortable.

"So…you and Vince now, huh?"

"Ah, you know Vincent?" Barbara grimaced slightly at the alien's question. There was only a four year age difference between her and Vince, an age difference than hadn't mattered to them for quite some time. She had known him when he was only thirteen, her seventeen. She had just been paralyzed by Joker, and her Father had thought that by sending her out of the city for a month or so, she'd let go of all the rage bubbling within her. In a way, he had been right. Barbara met Vince in that time, and the small boy of thirteen had inspired her to take the name Oracle. The two had remained friends after all those years, ignoring the few times later in their friendship that the lines had blurred, and were happy to be considered such.

"He's a friend."

"As he is to me." Koriand'r smiled warmly as she continued, "I spend more of my…free time…with the others on our team."

"I see."

"Ah, and Rin would like to open a chain."

"Excuse me?"

"A way for your team and ours to share information: a chain, I think she called it."

"A link?"

"Yes." Barbara fought the urge to roll her eyes at the alien woman. It seemed that very few things changed in regards to her lover's former lover.

"Alright…what's the IP?" As Starfire rattled off the information, Barbara's fingers danced across the keyboard. She was in her element, she and her computers were one.

But there were two things nagging at her mind. One was the mysterious group that had attacked Steph, nearly killed the Titans, hired Poison Ivy to attack New York, and was responsible for various attacks on Wayne Enterprises. What was their motive? Who had Bruce so righteously pissed off that this would happen? Ra's? No, Cass would have warned them. Riddler? Not his style. Who could it be?

The other thought, however, was much less grim, but no less confusing. It had started out as small twinges over a month ago, before escalating to something she recognized, something she had wanted for so long.

How hadn't Dick, who prided himself on being so observant, realized it during the night?

She wasn't paralyzed any more.

* * *

**AN: So...worth the wait? How many bombshells did I drop? Were any questions answered? Were hundreds formed? Will anyone review?** _Don't push it Nox, they're mad at us. Cuz we suck._ **But how do they know we suck? Aeri, are they trying to spy on us?** _Nox...shut the fuck up. _**Anyways, Falcon is a bat-family member, kinda, so he had to see the cave. The Guardians are adorable to write for, since in my mind they've become a family. Barbara and Kori is always good, those two crack me up in the comics. Yo, Falconie, did you like the Rise reference? I thought you might! Hey Fallen, don't kill me for the Babs thing, alright?** _Everyone should ignore the Jason/Steph slant in this chapter, unless you ship them. _**But never ignore the Cass/Tim. Never.** _It's her OTP._ **Jason, Dick, Bruce, Steph, and Damian can sleep with whoever, but Tim gets Cass. Every single time.** _So this can be a Falcon/Steph pairing? Interesting. Although, it seems that in this story, Vince has slept with every Batgirl._ **Hehe, he's like Nightwing. Speaking of:**

**Sand Torrent: You is Babywing. **_Jason disapproves._ **Jason is sexier than James...unless the play-by is sexier than Jensen Ackles.**

**Guest: Yes...Jason is cute.** _Don't injure yourself on that keyboard, darling. You need brain cells to function, we don't want you to end up like Nox._ **Oh take it up the**-_say it in italian, if you want me to listen to you._

**Broken Shadows: I'd say thank you, but most of them aren't my characters. However, Bolt is one of my favorites too.** _I'm more of a Wham-Fan, myself. _**Tch, nerd. But Falcon is hot. **_Gross, that's my bro's character. _**I know *winks saucily*** _*breaks faces* But i hate that Rin character. Simply horrible._ **Wait, that's your character. And I've read Binary! Thorin's amazing.** _I still don't like her though. ITs a hard character to like._ **I'm very confused Aeri. Why would you hate your own character? A character based off of-oh.** _yup. _**Like how Kit is-** _Momoko and Steve...yes._ **Ouch. I'm sorry.**

_Anyways, hey Query? Even though you don't read this, can we be the Bud and Lou to your Harley?_ **Oh god, don't make me cry again Aeri. Anyways, it looks like team Solaris is blasting off again! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about s- **_Knock it off Nox. I can't get through a rehearsal without someone singing that. _**I feel ya, Aer. Plus your director's a bitch. **_...Yes she is. But that's not the word. _**True. The bird is actually the word. **_You know that's right *fist bumps* _**Anyways, people we have some not new news. I don't know if I'm truly feeling this jig anymore. I still have big plans for this piece, but plot monkeys are in my head saying "write a YJ story." And i'm talking a season 3 story. With Darkseid. And Wally. And Donna/Kyle.** _Don't forget Crowbar/Jason Todd/Bread. _**The one true love triangle. Screw Roy/Kori/Jason. Jaybird only loves his crowbars and bread! **_He liked Donna and Babs for a while...Babs bought him chili dogs. _**I'd do it for pizza. **_You'd sell your soul for pizza. _**I already did. **_My soul for pizza? _**Did that too.**** Back to the original topic, before I got sidetracked...people, plot monkeys are scary things. I wanna write a YJ story with all the boss characters that aren't in the show. Like Jason, Kyle, Donna, Raven, Cyborg, Question, Huntress, Falcon- **_Who is still an OC...my brother's OC...its really gross how you obsess. _**Fukku. And Scarecrow, Damian, Ryuko, Courtney, Kara, other Kara, Kori, Zod...more evil people. Plus Aeri has a mock-plot for the story, and I wanna write it sooooo baaaaaaaaaaaad. **_How about this: if you can get the creators of at least two of the OC's used in Powerless to give permission for their characters to at least cameo in this season 3 story, then we can push Powerless back and write the mock. But only if two, not including me, creators give their permission. But, they have to have some say in regards to their character's appearing; we're not pulling this shit again. _**It's a deal Aeri! *starts scheming.***

_*sighs* we don't own many things...I own a shiny rock though...and a loaf of Italian bread. The title is taken from the song Fortune Teller by Maroon 5._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Rivers Keep Flowing (How the Future Will Go)**

Damian Wayne was not impressed. Neither was his father, but for completely different reasons. Bruce didn't like the idea of his formally dead, and possibly insane, son around, nor the idea of his identity possibly being known by one of the youngest Batman Inc members and his team. Damian, however, wasn't the biggest fan of the newcomer.

Grayson had talent. Todd had some skill, or else he wouldn't have given Grayson so much trouble. Drake, even Damian would admit, was good. But Olsen? Tch, he was just some punk attempting to follow in the footsteps of Damian's father.

Currently the pretender was standing in front of Todd, in almost a protective way, frowning as Grayson lectured the two of them. Bruce was seated in front of the computer, entering the new information into the database. Drake stood off to the side, talking to both Batgirls.

"So, you and Vince?" Tim asked, swallowing drily. He had been informed, once, that Cassandra and Vince had known each other, but for them to have lived together? For a year? Cass had never really been big on showing affection towards others, not really knowing how to, but Tim knew how flirtatious Vince was. But why did it matter to him? Vince and Cass, if they ever were, were probably no longer together, and Tim wasn't exactly with Cass, so it was really none of his business. Was he really jealous of a what if past she shared with another guy?

"No." Cassandra stated, shaking her head. Steph smirked, waggling her eyebrows at her close friend.

"You sure you never-well…" Here Steph paused to make an obscene gesture with her hands. Cass made a gagging sound in the back of her throat, frantically shaking her head.

"He was thirteen. I was nine. I was living on the streets. His uncle took me in."

"Why'd you leave?" Tim inquired, studying his partner. She had told him once that she left her father when she was nine, and struggled to live on the streets until she was seventeen, when she found herself in Gotham.

"His uncle died. Vince left. I did too." Cassandra frowned at the topic. Peter Olsen had taken her in and treated her as family. Vince had protected her whenever they went around town, treating her like a sister. Peter had been an assassin, who gave up that life once he was given the chance to take care of his nephew. He became a doctor, a healer, but died because of a past drenched in the blood of war games. The topic was more than a little strange for her to speak of; it seemed like a lifetime ago. Most things did. "But that's behind us."

"I'm sorry. I was just-"

"Jealous," Stephanie finished for him, offering her ex a knowing smile. Tim returned it sheepishly, noticing Cassandra's slightly amused expression.

"As lovely as all this is," Damian's voice rang out, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Can we get to work on catching these punks? Your obscene chatter is grating on my nerves."

"Are you sure he's not your son?" Vince muttered to Jason, who paled at the thought.

"If you hadn't taken my guns," Jason began in a quiet hiss. "I'd shoot you for that suggestion."

* * *

Nakamura Ren stepped into a dark alley, following the sounds of a scream. She was back in New York after three months in her homeland of Japan. The jet had made a quick flight from Kyoto to Gotham, during which she had attempted to start a conversation with the stoic Gotham vigilantes. Blackbat and Red Robin weren't ones for idle conversation, and had immersed themselves in a plan of action for when they were back home. Ren hadn't paid much attention to the two, preferring to plan out how to explain what she had seen to her team, the Guardians. How do you tell someone that their worst nightmare was happening again? How do you even begin?

The first time it had happened, it had brought them closer together, yet with a horrible cost. They had suffered so much, all alone. She could remember it like it was only seconds ago: her twin grinning horribly at her, his expression one of absolute cruelty. Him shooting her with her own guns, taunting her for her failures.

Of course, hearing the others' tales was more horrible than her own. They left her with a sense of agony that few things could replicate.

But now there were signs; signs that it was happening again. The things she had heard, what she had seen; they were omens. They had to be. If it was happening again, what did that mean? Did they call the Justice League? Could they all stand against it for the second time, and come out unscathed? Was it even possible to come out of such a thing unscathed? Ren knew that she hadn't, nor had a single one of her teammates.

Could they escape from it? Run from a seemingly predestined nightmare? Would they finally wake up, drenched in a cold sweat, relief rushing through them at the fact that it was only a dream?

She wished she had died that night. That's all the metamorphic vigilante really wanted at the moment. All Ren wanted, was to have died, just so that she would never have to deal with the omens, with a recurring nightmare. However, these wishes would become much more pronounced in the young hero's mind as she saw what awaited her in the alleyway; the two tiny words that sent shivers down her spine as her blood ran cold:

"Hello sister."

* * *

If anyone asked, Steven Thorsson was taking a break. Unlike his teammates, the Boltman actually had a working theory on the cult. Because of this, he had decided to rest. After all, he had fallen asleep in a swivel chair after finishing his analysis of various paraphernalia found on the cult members, and had been awoken rudely by James kicking the chair into a wall. The harpy-like screeching that followed, courtesy of Rin, led to the massive migraine Steve now had. Yawning, the electric hero fell onto a couch in his flat and slowly reached for something on a nearby table.

"Finally," he smiled, pulling the Gameboy Advance towards him. "Relaxation."

Din suddenly filled the air, like thunderous rain and hail on a metallic roof. The shriek that followed, via James, was just as loud, "GODDAMN IT BOLT! I SWEAR I'M GONNA HURT YOU!"

"Sure you will," Steven commented, ignoring the way the noise made his head pound. The door to his flat opened precariously, as his close friend stepped in.

"How'd you manage to fill his room with pennies?" Cameron asked, eyes wide.

"I am a man of many talents." Cam nodded in acceptance of that answer, before noticing the Gameboy.

"That reminds me-"

"I'm not going to play Mortal Kombat with you, if that's what you're wondering."

"Give me a legitimate reason why not."

"One: Smoke looks like Falcon, and that's just disturbing. Two: You'll immediately bar me from playing as Raiden. Three: hacks."

"I don't cheat."

"You cheat Doctor Sabia, you cheat." Cameron fixed him with a mock mildly hurt look, before questioning him.

"Earlier you said you had a theory?"

"Yes."

"Mind informing me of it?"

"Prime."

"Prime? Prime what?"

"There's multiple dimensions, this we all learned from the incident involving Superboy Prime. That fact is the key behind all of this." Cameron sat on a chair opposite the couch, thinking over the thought.

"I need more to go on, Steve," Cam stated after a moment. Steven sighed and began to elaborate.

"Think about it. The cult has been hitting Bat-Inc everywhere it counts. They attacked two members, killed and seriously injured allies, and attempted various hacks to the corporation's main frame. Which means that it either has to be a member of the Inc or a dangerous enemy. We can rule out most of Batman's known rogues, as well as enemies to the Justice League. I considered Riddler for a brief moment, but this is far from his style. Which then led me to think of Ra's, but naturally-"

"The League of Shadows doesn't quite have the organization anymore," Cam nodded. He looked at Boltman to continue, attempting to ignore the smirk on his friend's face.

"So then what Inc member wants to destroy something that getting them money and resources? Not Red Robin, Blackbat, or any of the members who have physically worked with the leader. Vince actually has a heart, despite its small size, and he wouldn't do it."

"How does that lead you to believe that the multiverse is the source of all this?"

"You know how I analyzed the cyanide capsules, and went over the cyanide sample, earlier?" Cameron nodded, not quite sure where his friend was going. It seemed like a jumbled mess of random statements, with no true meaning behind them, but there had to be more to it. Steve sighed, "Remember how there was an atom from an element unknown to us?"

"But held similar properties to many of ours," Cameron finished, groaning quietly. He himself had made the discovery last night, and Steven had just followed it up. "You ran a check on the atomic components, didn't you?"

"I'm waiting to get the answer, but I'm positive it's from different universe, possibly the Anti-Matter earth." Cameron blinked at him, before mentally kicking himself as he asked:

"What did I miss?"

The Boltman grimaced slightly, "The insignia etched into the molecules. That's what you missed, and what tipped me off."

"What insignia?"

"It's one we both know; one we all know." Cameron's eyes widened at Steve's pain-laced words. Normally the elder vigilante would crack a poor joke to disguise his pain, especially around others. Despite knowing each other for a few years now, Steven always would attempt to throw up at façade whenever something was troubling him.

"Bolt-"

"Where were you?" the electric hero questioned, his voice choked and far away. "When the Blackest Night fell from the skies?"

* * *

**AN: So I make Bolt very very very very Spidey-esque this chapter. You know, being far more intelligent that the others on the team and all. Jealous Tim was my suggestion, but **_I'm not a big fan of this chapter. _**To quote Bonerman to you, Aeri "Go and do what I say you dizzy cow slut." **_Hey Nox, want me to knock your teeth out for that? _**No ma'am. ****Anyways, this chap isn't that great.**

**On related notes: Sabia is Wham's last name, and I think Wham and Bolt are equally intelligent, but in different fields. Technically, Wham should have made the discovery, as he works with compounds, but I wanted Bolt to do it. And yes, if I had made a breakthrough discovery that showed the world's fate, I'd go relax too. Its hard work to do that.** _Actually Bolt went to go relax because of the migraine he had. I dunno about you people, but I don't trust my senses when I'm in any sort of pain. Everything is out of wack, because your nerve endings are hyperactive until you shut down the signals from your brain to the endings. Bolt actually isn't 100% positive in his theory, and besides, it is pretty farfetched. _**Yeah, DC would never do a multiple universe thing. *sees Crisis* or an alternate universe *sees Flashpoint* um, i'll shut up now.**

**Hopefully, you'll review this chapter with some advice. Or...if your the creators of the OCs, *bats eyelashes* you'll give me permission. *winks saucily* **_If that's directed towards my brother, i'm ripping your face off and wearing it as a mask. _***smooches Aeri***


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